Ad space will jump with street furniture contract: opponents

Public-space advocates called on the city to cancel its street furniture contract Monday, saying it will increase the amount of advertising on Toronto streets.

Astral Media won the competition for a multimillion-dollar contract to supply all the city's street furniture— including bus shelters, garbage cans and public washrooms —over the next two decades in return for rights to advertise on them.

Rami Tabello, who runs a website called illegalsigns.ca, told the executive committee Monday that under the contract there will be nearly 200,000 square feet (about 18,500 square metres)of advertising on the furniture— an 11 per cent increase over current advertising levels.

Dave Meslin, founder of the Toronto Public Space Committee, called the street furniture contract the "worst attack on public space I've seen."

The city decided to hand out a street furniture contract because, the city said, it couldn't afford to replace 25,000 pieces of furniture itself.

The city's request for proposals stated that the amount of advertising space couldn't exceed the current standard.

Despite opposition, city council's executive committee is expected to approve the contract when it goes to council for a final vote next month.